Lisa Coleman (musician)
Lisa Coleman (musician) is an American composer, musician, and songwriter who is best known for playing keyboards and piano. She was a member of Prince’s backing band The Revolution from 1980 to 1986 and later teamed up with Wendy Melvoin to form Wendy & Lisa.
Early life
Lisa Coleman was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 17, 1960. Her mother, Marylou Ynda-Ciletti, was a Mexican‑American visual artist, and her father, Gary Coleman, is an Anglo-American session musician who played with The Wrecking Crew. The Coleman and Melvoin families were close, and Lisa formed a lifelong friendship with Wendy Melvoin from a very young age.
Career
Lisa started performing publicly at age 12 with Waldorf Salad, a bubblegum pop band that included her siblings. The group was signed to A&M Records in 1973. She briefly appeared as a high school pianist in the 1975 TV movie Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic.
In 1980, through a connection helped by a friend, she joined Prince’s backing group for the Dirty Mind era, replacing Gayle Chapman. Wendy Melvoin soon joined as well. Lisa played keyboards on Prince albums Controversy and 1999 (and contributed vocals on 1999) and was a featured member of The Revolution on Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Parade. She also contributed to recordings by The Time, Vanity 6, and other Prince projects.
After the Parade era, Coleman and Melvoin formed Wendy & Lisa (also releasing music as Girl Bros. for one album). They released several full-length albums on major labels and their own imprint. In addition to performing, they built a career as film and television composers, working on projects such as Crossing Jordan and Heroes (the latter earning them an Emmy nomination for the main title). They won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music in 2010 for Nurse Jackie. They also composed music for NBC’s Shades of Blue and other shows, and earned an Emmy nomination for some works along the way.
In 2009, Coleman played vibraphone on Alice in Chains’ song Black Gives Way to Blue from the album of the same name. In 2019, she released her first solo instrumental album, Collage.
Personal life
In a 2009 interview with Out magazine, Coleman spoke openly about her past romantic relationship with Wendy Melvoin. The two remained collaborators and continued to work together after their relationship ended.
Awards and recognition
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music (2010) for Nurse Jackie (with Wendy Melvoin).
- Part of The Revolution, which earned Grammy Awards for Purple Rain and an Oscar for Best Original Score.
- ASCAP Shirley Walker Award (2014) for contributions to diversity in film and television music.
Discography highlights
With Prince or The Revolution
- Dirty Mind (1980)
- Controversy (1981)
- 1999 (1982)
- Sign o’ the Times (1987)
- Parade (1986)
- Purple Rain (1984)
- Around the World in a Day (1985)
- Planet Earth (2007)
- Piano and a Microphone 1983 (as composer) (2018)
With Wendy & Lisa
- Wendy and Lisa (1987)
- Fruit at the Bottom (1989)
- Eroica (1990)
- Girl Bros. (1998)
- White Flags of Winter Chimneys (2008)
- Snapshots (EP, 2011)
Soundtracks and scores
- Toys (1992)
- Dangerous Minds (1995)
- Crossing Jordan (2003)
- Carnivàle (2004)
- Heroes: Original Score (2008)
- Shades of Blue (TV score)
Solo work
- Collage (2019)
Session work
Lisa Coleman has contributed as a keyboardist, pianist, and composer for many artists, including Joni Mitchell, Michael Penn, Seal, Nona Gaye, Doyle Bramhall II, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, k.d. lang, Victoria Williams, Grace Jones, Gwen Stefani, Joe Satriani, and more.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 19:48 (CET).